whats going on

today

i put my bed frame together, finally. Ive had it for months, but with India being so small, I didnt want her to fall out, so I rigged a small platform and put our bed on top. Now she is so great at getting off and on, I decided to take it higher...so much nicer for me. Scarlett likes it...India is going to have to learn to get up and down. Only the strong survive muahahaha!

yesterday

Our sweet baby friend had her first birthday (and India is right around the corner), we celebrated with friends, the babies had fun eating dinner together, that was super cute, and the older children ran around like banshees.

day before

I watched the pilot of "glee" its hilarious...cant wait to see an episode to see if it will be watch-worthy.

last week

had a great time visiting family and friends in the bay area, Sacramento and hangtown. it was hot, and i was loving it! Scarlett played so much with her friends that shes had since she was super wee, while i visited with old friends as well...that was the best! I got to meet my first cousin Mark, for the first time, that was amazing and very enjoyable...love connecting with family!

Cant wait till Jessie gets back, I want to make some mean mama lovin carnitas for everyone to celebrate the babies turning ONE and the arrival of more sunny days under the Humboldt fog.
looking for

an art cabinet...forget the baskets and bins...im going 8th grade art room! something that locks...something where all the paper, pencils, clay, pens, wax, fabric dye, silk screens, fabric, linoleum, thread, stamps, crayons, pipe cleaners, stencils, paints, brushes, wool, felt and everything else we craft with can go in and live....forever...waiting for its fame, when its gathered for our daily crafting sessions.

today, scarlet insisted (sweetly even) on getting into the Christmas bin. This should probably drive me nuts...(but I "om") because she want to check her stocking....to see if there might be a prize inside. She is 3 1/2 (almost!!) and so she asked me like a kazillion times, so sweetly and quietly "mama, can i please look into the christmas box, my stocking is in there, it has prizes in it" riiiiight...prizes....hm the bin is clear.(if it were opaque this wouldnt be happening) ..so she sees all the sparkle gold fluffy wonderment that is Christmas. same thing happens with the art supplies...opened, spilled, agh blue paint everywhere...really my job as a mom is fun and exciting and full of art and reading and singing dancing making food, etc...but do i really need to be cleaning up paint spills and glitter hurricanes because all the art supplies are within reach? in clean $#?!* bins!! ummm im thinking the locking art cabinet...like miss murry had in 8th grade art class is the best! There will still be playdoh, crayons, paper and pens available at the easel...chalk at the chalkboard, etc...but im thinking a little more structure, less free for all with the art supplies. EXHALE...okay that was about enough of that.

much love xoxoxo

road again

im on it.

little roadtrip to visit family...see a few friends...and "family"

be back soon...maybe i will bring the sun with me!

portland childrens museum.....aw yeah

the portland childrens is amazing. here are a few images. here is a list of what you will find there: a huge water play room, complete with smocks; a digger area with shovels, pulleys and dumptrucks; a treehouse with bird perches and log tunnels; quiet reading room; kindergarden activity room; clay pottery studio; co-op canvas painting studio; night walkway with colored lights, babies only room with tidepool touch pool; a big stage with soundboard, lightbox, instuments and bins of dress-up attire;cafe with good eats; a builers room treehouse with magnet room and hammer like crazy room; indoor playground run all over and swing from it thing; and some other stuff.

food blogs

i found the best food blog. This woman is a knitter and a major foodie and makes beautiful vegan food. There are great descriptions, easy recipes that sound soooo good. There are videos!!! That is the best part...I just watched half a dozen and its so inspirational...not to mention makes me feel like getting new cookware hahaha well check it out

veganyumyum.com

truckin part two

ohhh k. when we went up to Oregon...we stopped at IKEA. This is something i was looking forward to for a really long time...long story short...we needed some furniture. It was amazing...not only did we get 10% off our entire order due to some in-store special...but we scored in the "as-is" section of the store and took advantage of some store special deals. I guess if you use your debt card, you get huge coupons!! I have only been to IKEA once...mostly because i watched fight club a lot back then...oh by the way...i have a bar of fight club soap...it is sooo rad! okay anyway, yeah its huge and there aren't any sales people...and seriously you can get lost...there IS a supervised kids area, but S is too small...and really she wanted to "play" in the livingrooms and kitchens, etc...it was so much fun. Now that I consider myself an IKEA expert...I have some wisdom to share for those of you heading there anytime soon.

1. call ahead and make sure they have what you want!! This is huge as they had a ton of stuff in the store that wasn't in catalog or online...and vice-versa.

2. do a stock check...and ask them to "hold" it for you...yeah this really works...but only on weekdays.

3. go ahead and break the rules...carts in the elevator, food in the showroom, merch in the cafe, pulled item in the aisles (pull all your stuff, then swing by and get it on the flatbed) break the rules because there aren't very many people working, so no one will stop you.

4. ask for HELP...they try not to get involved, but really, ask and ye shall receive. They have it set up to be self serve...but there was no way I could push a furniture flatbed, a cart, carry the yellow bag, a baby and a 3 yr old all while trying to navigate the huge store. That would have been a sight!

thank you Becca for helping us that day...seriously couldn't have done it without you...but wouldn't have had nearly as much fun without you!

another candy festival

yippee...Easter! This year Scarlett really enjoyed hunting for eggs and finding little candy treasures...painting and dyeing eggs, and wearing bunny ears. We also had a nice dinner and felt very thankful for all the miracles! Oh the sweets. Well, luckily, it wasnt a repeat of Halloween...she is getting better at having a little piece and moving on till later...instead of trying to shove it all down her throat before it gets taken away, like some sort of rabid animal...holy moly! It was a mellow day...what with my broken toe and all, i didnt feel like doing a whole lot. haha broken toe...it sounds so silly, but it is such a bother! A complete inconvenience...simple things like carrying the baby, or sweeping a floor have become skilled acts of balance and i have a new fear of breaking a toe on my other foot. anyway...

truckin' (part 1)

In the beginning, the idea of a roadtrip up to Oregon to visit my mom for a few days seemed simple. That was in January. In February, I decided to add Portland Zoo and Children's Museum. In march I added Ikea and visit with good friends. At the last minute the Aquarium and so much more. To put it lightly, we had a GREAT time. Scarlett (a seasoned tripper) was well packed with snacks, books, toys, potty and the DVD player...so she was fine for the 8-10 hour long hauls. India was a greenhorn. Overall she did great...after the first 3-4 hours it became apparent to her that she was going to be strapped in for long periods of time...this always makes them cry a little. That little tired whimper kind of cry, awww so sad. Before we even left she had already started protesting her seat, even for a quick trip to the store...ya know the whole stiff like a board thing? So with that behavior on board, i was prepared for the worst...im glad i brought the harmonica. Between it and Scarlett saying "mama" every 2 minutes i was in tears...from laughter luckily. Just imagining anyone else sitting with me in the passenger seat dealing with the "mama's" and the "im hungry" (even though you just ate a whole sandwich) every couple of minutes seemed enough to drive any sane person completely mad...but me, i was just laughing and enjoying myself. Did i mention that i forgot music hahahahaha that was a real knee slapper! We stopped to picnic by the beach, in local parks and found great places to eat and use the bathroom...thanks mostly to my phone. Oh yes, verizon texted me a message saying that i could try out the GPS on my phone for a month...free...a few days before we left...it was awesome. I located all the drive thru Dutch Bros. so i could down mate whenever i liked...and looking for a great taco shop or natural foods grocery was a snap! So...for truckin part one we have pics from the oregon zoo!

It was super! we rode the train...saw the bats...licked the giraffe, waved at elephants, played with penguins, followed a leopard and stared at a crocodile. great zoo!

cat grass fever

scarlett is so proud of her cat grass (sprouted oats). She planted it herself, and filled the pot with soil, watered it...and waited for something to happen...meanwhile we learned all about seeds, pollination, spring, bees, cats with upset tummies, photosynthesis, etc and luckily cat grass grows so fast...we saw shoots in 3 days! what fun! now she checks it everyday, waters it and cuts it down occasionally. she loves gardening. we also planted some strawberries...i cant wait to see what happens with them.

hit the road, jack

we are gearing up for a little road trip up to Oregon next week. I am so excited, and a little nervous. I have not driven that far with the girls yet and India is so young she could just sleep the whole time (please please please) or wail and hollar...grrrr. Scarlett was a fine road tripper...so maybe she will follow in her big sisters footsteps? But, oh wait...there's more...we cant have any sugary snacks ("i'll give you a popsicle if you get into your carseat") because S needs to get her teeth cleaned, and she has the beginning of a cavity in her molar. We have been to the dentist twice in the last month, but she wont let them get into her mouth. Its really silly. She has them wrapped around her finger...if I were the dentist the whole thing would be over...but since we got Mr. Bubble and Miss Gas Huffer scooting around holding a water pic and a big scary stuffed animal asking S to open wide we got NOWHERE! duh! do these people even have kids? I swear the dental tech was talking 500 words per minute and the dentist was so over-the-top "nice" it was downright creepy. Im about to order my own set of instruments so i can pick her teeth clean for goodness sakes! Maybe we can just take a trip to Mexico and get her all fixed up..hahaha, you know i kid!

But, oh yeah...oregon...I am going to visit my mom...who has not met India yet (awww) and pick up my Dad's ashes. He has been camping at my moms house for a year now, and I really need some closure, so I am making a plan for his final resting place. Its fun to plan it out...i keep getting all kinds of goofy ideas about dispersing his ashes in the bay...scattering them from the golden gate while no one is looking...yeah right!!! I will know what to do when the time comes...Im taking him to SF in May and I will know what to do then. For now its fun to think of crazy ways to scatter his ashes.

I wonder how many hours it will take me to get to Corvallis? I might just leave at 2am, so that they sleep the whole way...then i can be a zombie the next day instead of having to stop every hour.

Road trip must-have's:

dvd player

cooler with lots of snacks ready to go!

baby bjorn potty

big mug for caffeinated bevies

driving slippers

fairy moon cd

toy cars and trains

Things you might think are great, but are really lame to bring:

coloring books and crayons: they spill and you have to keep reaching back to get them..also kids get irritated trying to color when bumps and car turbulence happen...also, S will hand the crayons to India who will cry if she cannot try to eat them.

peanut butter and jelly: such a huge mess! not worth it AT ALL! cucumber and cheese, or tofu and cheese, or even hummus and carrot sandwiches are way better!

water bottles: i think its way better to drink water when stopped, otherwise too much water means lots of potty stops, and this way they dont get squirted out from the backseat, yay! plus the caps are a choking hazard, and the baby will cry if she cant have it-so again, not worth it!

well, im sure it will all be great...and good thing we are in no hurry so we can take our time cruising on up to grandmas.

a new level of messy

yes...it gets messy around here.

yes...i stay up late to clean it up.

i dont waste my precious time trying to put toys away, fold clean clothes, mop floors, make beds, etc with these wild ones running around eagar to destroy my neat and tidy doings! have you ever tried to fold laundry with a toddler who thinks shes helping me by wadding up the clothes into tight little balls and a crawling infant who wants to play peek-a-boo with everything your folding??? yeah.

Some may think that im okay with the messy...(and thats sweet, but no...) for real- i like the ordered and clutter-free...i like it so much that i dont want anyone to mess it up, which is why i do it at midnight, so's i can enjoy it for a bit...till i finally put the thrilling book im reading down and cuddle up to sleep. and i especially love it first thing in the morning before the baskets get dumped, the third bowl of oatmeal or yogurt gets spilled, or smeared or so "helpfully" dropped into the sink, sometimes breaking...ya know the clean and spotless bathroom before the paper gets unravelled, trash dumped over, toothpaste over-squeezed, dinosaur marching band, stacked of towels used to reach the "kitty sparkles", etc etc...those of you who know...know what i mean. i keep thinking to set my alarm for five, way before the littles wake, so i can drink a cup of mate during one of the tiny slices of time that my home is neat and tiddy.

spring, teeth and reptiles

the boa


headband!!

oh sweet lovely spring...you are almost here and I welcome you with big open loving arms!
except that i will lose an hour of sleep, and i guess its worth it, but really i dont have an hour to spare, so cruel...so cruel.

T'was a beautiful sunlit day today...wind was a bit chilly, but sporting short sleeves in the warmth of the sun while in the car, complaining of the heat (unheard of, really!!) we rolled our windows down and set out for the natural history museum...reptile day...whoo hoo. I guess I was half expecting Scarlett to fear the cold blooded ones...in the past she would hide her face in my arm as we passed the snakes, etc while visiting aquariums and the zoo. But, oh no...she's not afraid anymore...she's thrilled! She held lizards, geckos (3 diff kinds), a boa, a skink...you name it. If a reptile was out of its "habitat", scarlett was right there, hands neatly opened to hole the creature. so gentle. so brave. Something comes over her when she is the self appointed guardian of the tiny gecko...her face changes...i can see glimpses of her older self...she talks quietly while holding them and feels so proud. It was as much fun for me to watch her as it was for her to hold them. I could have taken so many amazing photos, but alas...the batteries, darn!

and now for the teeth...so here is what has been happening around here...india got some teeth...the usually 12 hour fever, snotty nose, ear pulling, etc...then i got sick...headache, snotty, mild cough, then Scarlett got sick with the same...then India got it, while still teething...so loads more snot and more cough...plus tiny get it worse than us. Then I got better, Scarlett got better...India got worse...she was so miserable...and another fever...then i got snotty again, and achy...then Scarlett got really snotty and another croupy, yucky cough...what the?? and now im feeling great, Scarlett on the mend with a lingering cough, but india still with cough, and 4 more teeth trying to bust through her little tiny gums...poor babe...teething is serious business folks. Hopefully with this sunshine and resting, we will all be able to go out and play without toting handfuls of hankies and warm chicken broth. big sigh.